A term used in many chronological constructions in New World archaeology. The Formative Period is characterized by the appearance of traits that indicate a sedentary way of life and have the potential for the development of civilization. Chief among these traits are the development of agriculture, the introduction of pottery, and the building of urban or ceremonial centres. Since the appearance of these traits is not conditioned by the passage of time, the Formative is best understood as a concept rather than a fixed period. Even so, it is usually framed within the period 1800 BC to ad 100 in South America. In Mesoamerica, it is more often referred to as the Pre-Classic and divided into Early (2000-1000 BC), Middle (1000-300 BC) and Late (300 bc-ad 300). See Table 9, page 552.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied